Toothbrush comprising a brush member having a bristle field and an interdental bristle field

• US 6,308,358 B2
• Filed: 04/30/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Edvardsen, Stein, Gruber, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Randall E.
• Application Number:
  US09/303,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20010001334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/222, 15/28, 15D/IG.5
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/008 Disc-shaped brush bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/045 specially adapted for cleaning a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/22 with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like brush bodies, e.g. arrangements of the bristles A46B
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/222 Brush body details, e.g. the shape thereof or connection to handle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 15/05 Varied length bristle

Abstract

In a toothbrush having a brush member which carries a bristle holder with a bristle field and an interdental bristle holder with an interdental bristle field, the bristle field comprises a first field portion and a second field portion, the first field portion being disposed nearer the interdental bristle field than the second field portion and the bristles of the first field portion being shorter than the interdental bristles and the bristles of the second field portion being longer than the bristles of the first field portion and thus at the same time form interdental bristles.

Claims

1. A toothbrush comprising a grip member and a brush member connected to the grip member,

said brush member having a longitudinal axis and at its end remote from the grip member carrying a bristle holder which is drivable for pivotable movement between multiple positions through a center position along a circular path,

said bristle holder being mounted on the brush member so as to be movable with respect to a holder axis and having a holder surface which extends substantially transversely to the holder axis and from which, in the area of the holder surface, bristles project transversely to the holder surface,

said bristles together forming a first bristle field, and said brush member in addition comprising an interdental bristle holder, which is drivable for pivotable movement through a center position along a circular path and is disposed adjacent the bristle holder in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the brush member, said interdental bristle holder being mounted on the brush member so as to be movable and having a further holder surface and from which in the area of the further holder surface interdental bristles project transversely to the further holder surface, said interdental bristles together forming an interdental bristle field,

wherein:

the first bristle field comprises a first field portion and a second field portion,

the first field portion is disposed at the side of the bristle holder nearest the interdental bristle field and the second field portion is disposed at the side of the bristle holder remote from the interdental bristle field

all the bristles of the first field portion are shorter than all the interdental bristles, all the bristles of the second field portion are longer than all the bristles of the first field portion and the bristles of the second field portion form interdental bristles.

2. A brush member for a toothbrush which brush member is adapted to be coupled detachably to a grip member of the toothbrush,

said brush member having a longitudinal axis and at its end remote from the grip member carrying a bristle holder which is drivable for pivotable movement through a center position along a circular path,

said bristle holder is mounted on the brush member so as to be movable with respect to a holder axis which extends transversely to the longitudinal axis and which bristle holder has a holder surface which extends substantially transversely to the holder axis and from which, in the area of the holder surface, bristles project transversely to the holder surface,

said bristles together forming a first bristle field, and in addition said brush member comprising an interdental bristle holder, which is drivable for pivotable movement through a center position along a circular path and is disposed adjacent the bristle holder in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the brush member,

said interdental bristle holder is mounted on the brush member so as to be movable and having a further holder surface from which in the area of the further holder surface interdental bristles project transversely to the further holder surface, which interdental bristles together form an interdental bristle field,

wherein:

the bristle field comprises a first field portion and a second field portion;

the first field portion is disposed at the side of the bristle holder nearest the interdental bristle field and the second field portion is disposed at the side of the bristle holder remote from the interdental bristle field, and

the bristles of the first field portion are shorter than the interdental bristles,

the bristles of the second field portion are longer than the bristles of the first field portion and the bristles of the second field portion form interdental bristles.

3. A toothbrush comprising a grip member and a brush member connected to the grip member,

said brush member having a longitudinal axis and at its end remote from the grip member carrying a bristle holder which is drivable for pivotable movement through a center position along a circular path,

said bristle holder being mounted on the brush member so as to be movable with respect to a holder axis which extends transversely to the longitudinal axis and having a holder surface which extends substantially transversely to the holder axis and from which, in the area of the holder surface, bristles project transversely to the holder surface,

said bristles together forming a first bristle field, and in addition said brush member comprising an interdental bristle holder, which is drivable for pivotable movement through a center position and is disposed adjacent the bristle holder in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the brush member, said interdental bristle holder being mounted on the brush member so as to be movable and having a further holder surface and from which in the area of the further holder surface interdental bristles project transversely to the further holder surface, said interdental bristles together forming an interdental bristle field,

wherein:

the first bristle field comprises a first field portion and a second field portion,

the first field portion is disposed at the side of the bristle holder nearest the interdental bristle field and the second field portion is disposed at the side of the bristle holder remote from the interdental bristle field,

all of the bristles of the first field portion have the same length and are shorter than all of the interdental bristles, and

all of the bristles of the second field portion are longer than all of the bristles of the first field portion and the bristles of the second field portion form interdental bristles.

4. A toothbrush comprising a grip member and a brush member connected to the grip member,

said brush member having a longitudinal axis and at its end remote from the grip member carrying a bristle holder which is drivable for pivotable movement along a circular path through a center position,

said bristle holder being mounted on the brush member so as to be movable with respect to a holder axis which extents transversely to the longitudinal axis and having a holder surface which extends substantially transversely to the holder axis and from which, in the area of the holder surface, bristles project transversely to the holder surface,

said bristles together forming a first bristle field, and said brush member in addition comprising an interdental bristle holder, which is drivable for pivotable movement through a center position along a circular path and is disposed adjacent the bristle holder in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the brush member, said interdental bristle holder being mounted on the brush member so as to be movable and having a further holder surface and from which in the area of the further holder surface interdental bristles project transversely to the further holder surface, said interdental bristles together forming an interdental bristle field,

wherein:

the first bristle field comprises a first field portion and a second field portion,

the first field portion is disposed at the side of the bristle holder nearest the interdental bristle field and the second field portion is disposed at the side of the bristle holder remote from the interdental bristle field,

all of the bristles of the first field portion are shorter than all of the interdental bristles,

all of the bristles of the second field portion are longer than all of the bristles of the first field portion, the bristles of the second field portion form interdental bristles, and

the bristles of the second field portion are bounded at their free ends by two bounding planes which are inclined with respect to one another in a wedge-like fashion.

5. A brush member for a toothbrush which brush member is adapted to be coupled detachably to a grip member of the toothbrush,

said brush member having a longitudinal axis and at its end remote from the grip member carrying a bristle holder which is drivable for pivotable movement through a center position along a circular path,

said bristle holder being mounted on the brush member so as to be movable with respect to a holder axis which extends transversely to the longitudinal axis and which bristle holder has a holder surface which extends substantially transversely to the holder axis and from which, in the area of the holder surface, bristles project transversely to the holder surface,

said bristles together forming a first bristle field, and said brush member in addition comprising an interdental bristle holder, which is drivable for pivotable movement through a center position along a circular path and is disposed adjacent the bristle holder in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the brush member,

said interdental bristle holder being mounted on the brush member so as to be movable and having a further holder surface from which in the area of the further holder surface interdental bristles project transversely to the further holder surface, which interdental bristles together form an interdental bristle field,

wherein:

the first bristle field comprises a first field portion and a second field portion,

the first field portion is disposed at the sides of the bristle holder nearest the interdental bristle field and the second field portion is disposed at the side of the bristle holder remote from the Interdental bristle field,

all of the bristles of the first field portion all have the same length and are shorter than all of the interdental bristles,

all of the bristles of the second field portion are longer than all of the bristles of the first field portion and the bristles of the second field portion Form interdental bristles.

6. A brush member as claimed in claim 5, wherein the bristles of the second field portion are bounded at their free ends by two bounding planes which are inclined with respect to one another in a wedge-like fashion.